New single “like me and you”
Forthcoming EP “shopping for smiles” due out May ‘22
London-based alternative pop artist ‘priestess’ (emphatically with a lower case, styled like most of her songs,) a.k.a. 22-year-old Sasha (short for Alexandra) Nadein, grew up in a suburb outside of Philadelphia: the first person in her family to be born in the United States, raised by Russian immigrant parents. Inspired by her rich mixed heritage and equally rich musical influences, this multifaceted artist is writing music that is attracting all the right kind of attention. She releases the first single off the forthcoming EP “shopping for smiles” (May 22). “like me and you” drops on 25th February 2022 across all the usual download and streaming platforms.
priestess had the best start in life, with parents who actively encouraged her youthful talent, always telling her she could achieve anything she set her mind to. With a natural childhood inclination for music, dance, and performance, they encouraged her to take it more seriously by providing lessons for piano, dance, and vocals. They also helped form her taste in music by playing bands like Queen and Depeche Mode in the same house as Destiny’s Child and Britney Spears. This regular exposure to eclectic genres and classic artists influenced the fledgling musician and songwriter enormously in her impressive musical journey.
priestess always dreamed of becoming a rockstar
Growing up, dreams of becoming a rockstar resulted in priestess taking bigger leaps of faith: auditioning for shows like the X Factor and The Voice. These experiences only further fortified her desire to be a performer and at 15 years old she started writing music with true confidence and determination. By the time she was 17 she had recorded and released 3 EPs ranging from genres of pop, pop-rock, and pop-punk, inspired by the performance ethic of Hayley Williams, the punk princess persona of Avril Lavigne, and the raw, heartfelt, soul-baring songwriting prowess of Kurt Cobain.
Later, she yearned to evoke the cool kudos of artists who were gaining enormous momentum online: The 1975 and The Neighborhood. In a typically bold and inspired move, she moved to the UK to continue fine-tuning her craft, achieving a first-class degree in songwriting from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. More recently her influences include Beabadoobee, Clairo, Harry Styles, YUNGBLUD, Machine Gun Kelly, and Gorillaz.
priestess may be young herself, but she freely admits that her concerns for the young today having to deal with the socio-political darkness happening across the world fuels her musical output:
The “pressure that is put on our generation to have everything together when we are going through arguably the darkest and loneliest times of our lives…. Using my own experiences, I want to remind young adults that we are still allowed to learn, grow, and have fun even as everything we know seems to fall apart around us.”
priestess
As a multi-skilled artist, she is able to convey her message through well-rounded concepts that will always be as honest and relatable as she can make them. Whether it’s reflecting on her feelings through lyrics or communicating on social media. She adds: “I want to always be a friend to my generation and to my listeners. I’m a perfectionist, especially when it comes to my art. To me, music will always be about the entire experience, with ‘priestess’ you will always get the full package. The visual, the stories, the music itself… everything. “
The tracks on the forthcoming EP “shopping for smiles” (May 22) demonstrate her versatile talents.
“Sea U N Tea”, “Rewind”, “The Ick” and “Frankenstein Heart”, all vary in melody and intensity, but the overriding themes are very relatable. Not only to her peers but, indeed, just about everyone. The songs speak of personal vulnerability, dating, love, loss, heartbreak and recovery.
The EP also features the new single “like me and you” – currently championed by BBC Introducing – a bittersweet, raw, vibey tome about misplaced, unrequited love and one that was once very personal to Priestess. She calls it a “…sassy song that I wrote about a crush I had in my first year of university, definitely don’t feel the same now, but it’s a way of honouring my past self and feelings.”
Interview with priestess
1. You have just brought out ‘like me and you’. Describe the song and what it means to you.
‘like me and you’ is special to me for a number of reasons, mostly because it reminds me of my first year at university. When I listen to it now it reminds me of how naive I was and how excited I was to be living in London and writing music. I often write about very personal experiences and though I may not feel the same way now, I’m sure the experience is one people can relate to.
2. What prompted you to become a singer-songwriter? How did you get into it?
It was actually my voice teacher who got me to start writing songs. I had been taking lessons with her for a while and had always expressed how much I would love to be a performer, but I had never actually tried to write a song before. With her help with instrumentation, I was able to put lyrics and a melody to it and wrote my first song. After that, it had become an emotional outlet for me.
3. How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as a fun and current take on alternative pop music. I am a music lover so many things influence and inspire me. I’d like for priestess to bring nostalgia to my generation by incorporating elements of songs that defined my adolescence.
4. What do you want people to take away from it?
The one thing that I want people to take away from it is to remember to have fun and not be so hard on themselves because everything around us is uncertain. I talk openly about my flaws and faults because they all make me who I am. I can only hope that it inspires others to not feel so ashamed about the things they can’t change about themselves.
5. What inspires you and who are your influences?
What inspires me the most is human connection. I love hearing people’s stories and experiences and learning about what makes them who they are. I especially love going to gigs and seeing other artists do what they love. And the smiles on their faces when they see people singing their lyrics back to them. My biggest influences are Nirvana, Paramore, and the 1975– I just love their music and their performances.
6. What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to believe in myself more. Thinking about this question actually makes me a bit teary-eyed because I struggled a lot with bullying for most of my life. Little kids are so mean – I always wish that I could go back and give myself that push and boost of support and tell myself to be proud of who I am instead of hiding it just because someone else doesn’t like it.
7. What is your favourite thing about where you live?
My favourite thing about London is that all of the museums are free to go to. It’s perfect because you can have a really nice day by yourself or with friends for super cheap and get inspired by the art that you see.
8. You mention that the socio-political darkness happening across the world fuels your musical output? What message can you convey to others?
I’m someone who has a lot of thoughts and opinions, but I can admit that I am not nearly as educated on the complexities of politics. I make it a point to research and learn from wherever I can, listening to people’s stories and coming to my own conclusions while spreading awareness. That being said, my music isn’t exactly political. If anything, the message I want to convey in my music is humanity. I want to highlight through my music that we are all people who share similar experiences regardless of the background we come from. Everyone has a story to tell about who they are and where they are from, but the human experience is universal and we shouldn’t forget that we are all the same at the end of the day.
9. What is one life tip that’s changed your life?
This might sound ridiculous but when I was 13 I was a HUGE One Direction fan. Harry Styles said ‘Be Nice’ and I took that and ran with it. It was an epiphany moment for me because at the time I was a really angry person and I don’t know why it hit me so hard, but it’s honestly changed my whole outlook on life from that point onwards. Now I preach about kindness and self-love.
10. What’s next for you? What are you most excited about?
There are two things that come to mind immediately, the first being that I’m excited to start playing gigs. I’ve just recently got a band together and we’re starting to practice for that. Second, being the EP! All the songs on the EP have stories behind them and they’re definitely a reflection of who I am and I think a lot of people will relate– So many things are coming next, this is only the beginning!!